Migrants stream back to MP from Delhi & Maha; woman delivers in bus

Migrants stream back to MP from Delhi & Maha; woman delivers in bus

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

12.04.2021

Bhopal/Barwani/Khargone: Covid exodus 2.0 has begun. Migrant workers are again streaming back to Madhya Pradesh from lockeddown areas of Maharashtra and Delhi, where fears of a lockdown are growing.

One of them, 27-year-old Munia Bai, delivered a baby in a bus on Sunday while on her way to her home in MP’s Chhattarpur district. When she went into labour, the driver sped to a community health centre in Naugaon town of the district.

She was returning with her husband Harishankar Rajak, and 15 other people from Jharahata village of Panna, neighbouring Chattarpur.

Harishankar said: “We came back before lockdown could hold us back. I knew my wife was in advanced stage of pregnancy but we wanted to reach home before the Nav Durga festival.”

Ghasi Ahirwar, who works at a construction site in Delhi said, “Hungry and thirsty, we travelled for four days last year to reach home. This time, we left Delhi before they could lock down the capital. Coronavirus has spread so rapidly there that lockdown may be announced any time.”

Another labourer, Ratiram Ahirwar, said, “Nav Durga Puja is around the corner. We thought we should go home and pray to the goddess before Delhi is locked down again.”

Last year about 7.3 lakh labourers and over 5 lakh of their family members had returned to Madhya Pradesh during the lockdown. Most of them belong to Bundelkhand— Chattarpur, Tikamgarh, Panna, Damoh and Sagar districts.

Migrants are also fleeing the locked down areas of Maharashtra and returning to the homes on the bordering districts, especially Barwani, Khandwa and Khargone.

Hundreds of workers, including those headed for Bihar and UP, are turning up at Bijasan on the MP-Maharashtra border by bus. Since MP has banned interstate us travel, they get off at Bijasan, spend the night there and look for other transport.

Farid, who works as a welder in Pune, said that he was returning to Barabanki, UP, along with 17 colleagues because there was no work due to the lockdown. Another labourer, Sandeep Jaiswal, said he ran out of ration and has no option but to return home.

COVID EXODUS 2.0: Migrant workers queue up for Covid testing upon reaching Patna on Sunday. (R) Migrants leave for native places from Surat on Sunday

Gennova to get ₹100cr from govt for Covid jabs

Pune-based Gennova Biopharma, developing India’s first indigenous messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine against Covid-19, will receive government funding of ₹100 crore, making it the first such large project to be funded under the ‘Mission Covid Suraksha’. The company will receive up to Rs 100 crore under the Covid Suraksha scheme, upon successful completion of Phase 1 clinical studies, sources told TOI.

A total of Rs 900 crore has been earmarked for Covid-19 vaccine development to be implemented by BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) under the Department of Biotechnology. Last year, over six vaccine candidates under development by domestic drug companies including Zydus Cadila and Gennova, were provided seed funds for around ₹15-₹20 crore each. TNN